Traveler cleared of Ebola at Madison hospital

A traveler who recently returned to Wisconsin from an Ebola affected West African country has been confirmed to not have the disease, after being monitored at a Madison hospital. Public Health Madison Dane County reports that two laboratory tests confirm that the individual does not have Ebola. The person is no longer in isolation and presents no risk.

“I would like to recognize the hard work and effort put forth by our staff and our partners who participated in the traveler’s monitoring and care,” said Janel Heinrich, Director of Public Health Madison and Dane County.

Since last fall, PHMDC has been actively monitoring travelers from the countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia for 21 days following their return for symptoms of Ebola. PHMDC will continue regular monitoring of all travelers returning from West Africa until otherwise indicated by the Centers for Disease Control.

This was the first time that a traveler returning to Dane County developed symptoms during the monitoring period, and was hospitalized. It was also the first time Ebola preparedness plans were put into action and a coordinated response between PHMDC, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and other state and local partners.